Background The extract of Ailanthus altissima possesses anti‐inflammatory and neuroprotective properties. We aimed to investigate its effectiveness in mitigating the AlCl 3 ‐induced Alzheimer’s disease in a rat model. Methods A total of 32 adult male Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups each consisting of 8 rats. The control group received saline and the AlCl 3 group received AlCl 3 (0.2 cc 100 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) for 14 days. Two other groups received either 50 or 100 mg/kg of Ailanthus altissima after AlCl 3 treatment. Behavioral tests including open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze, and passive avoidance tests were performed. Nuclear factor kappa B (NF‐κB), glial filamentous acidic protein (GFAP), and amyloid beta were stained using immunohistochemistry (IHC) in the hippocampus. Results AlCl 3 administration caused significant memory impairment, and treatment with Ailanthus altissima extract effectively mitigated these deficits in a dose‐dependent manner. The effects were dose‐dependent, and the group receiving 100 mg/kg extract presented the most significant results in the conducted behavioral tests. The IHC results for NF‐κB showed that treatment with 50 mg/kg of extract significantly reduced NF‐κB expression compared with the AlCl 3 group (6.64% vs. 13.3%, respectively, p < 0.05). A higher dose of 100 mg/kg resulted in an even greater reduction (4.45% vs. 13.3%, p < 0.01). Extract treatment reduced GFAP positivity in a dose‐dependent manner, with the 50 mg/kg group showing a significant decrease to 11.8% ( p < 0.05). The 100 mg/kg group demonstrated an even more substantial reduction to 7.7% ( p < 0.01) compared with the AlCl 3 group (18.65%). Amyloid beta positivity was critically reduced in the 100 mg/kg‐receiving group. Conclusions Ailanthus altissima extract shows potential as a neuroprotective extract. It counteracts AlCl 3 ‐induced behavioral and neuropathological changes, suggesting promising therapeutic applications.
Gravandi et al. (Thu,) studied this question.